Role of women in healthcare consumption has significantly evolved: Gul Raj Bhatia

At the e4m Health and Wellness Marketing Conference, Gul Raj Bhatia, President of Emami Limited's Healthcare Division, shared his insights on the evolution of India's consumer health market during a fireside chat with Kanchan Srivastava, Senior Editor and Group Editorial Evangelist, e4m.

Bhatia began by highlighting the significant changes in consumer behaviour and market offerings over the past decade. "India used to be at a far lower level in terms of per capita consumption of healthcare products compared to evolved markets in the West or even in Asia Pacific.” He pointed out that while the pharma sector had a good prescription consumption rate, the OTC consumer healthcare market was underdeveloped, dominated by a few major brands.

"But what has happened probably over the last five, six years, especially driven by COVID and driven by the surge in online digital marketing, et cetera, there's been a sea change.," Bhatia explained. He attributed this shift to several factors, including increased consumer awareness and higher discretionary spending, leading to a demand for differentiated products.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, categories like immunity and overall wellness saw a significant boost. "We had seen the market growing at 50 to 60 percent for categories such as immunity," Bhatia said. This growth, coupled with the shift to online shopping, brought a plethora of new products and brands into the market.

Bhatia emphasised the role of online platforms in this transformation. "During COVID, there was a thousand-fold increase in online players offering very specialised, niche offerings," he noted. "Earlier, you could name a few experts in healthcare. Today, there are at least a hundred people who have their own large consumer followers across online platforms. And the third factor which I think is very important is that omni-channel has come into play. Earlier it used to be a very product-centric market, now through the omni channel, it has become a very services driven market also. So, almost all the new players who come in are offering omni channel services."

Bhatia then moved on and discussed emerging categories, highlighting the increased demand for stress management and sleep disorder products. "Stress used to be a taboo word till about 5 years back. We had done some research earlier where people would not like to say openly in front of their colleagues at office etc. that ‘I have stress’. But today, it's become far more open, people in fact are proud to say openly in front of their colleagues that ‘I'm leading a stressful life’ and this is one of the most searched categories after hair care and skin care," he said.

He also pointed to the popularity of new product formats like gummies, effervescent tablets, and plant-based protein powders. "Gummies, which one would have thought would be seen as a kiddie product, are now being consumed by people in the age group of 25 to 35 years."

Bhatia acknowledged the influence of cultural diversity on consumer choices. "In parts of the north, east, and west, people have been used to taking home remedies," he noted. However, with the rise of nuclear families and both partners working, there is a growing preference for ready-to-use formats of these traditional remedies. "People want haldi drops or turmeric drops instead of just using turmeric."

He also highlighted the shift in the role of women in healthcare consumption. "The woman is becoming far more conscious about her own sense of well-being," Bhatia said. This change has led to increased demand for products addressing women's health issues like menstrual disorders and PCOS. "We found that about half the women today go and ask doctors for a health supplement or a multivitamin supplement for themselves."

Addressing the evolution of the Ayurveda market, Bhatia stated, "In the last three to four years, Ayurveda has become far more mainstream." He noted that Emami has significantly expanded its OTC product range in response to this trend, driven by increased consumer interest and a focus on R&D. "We launched over 100 products in the OTC domain in the last three to four years," he shared.

Bhatia concluded by discussing Emami's strategic initiatives, including their early entry into the D2C space. "We were probably one of the first companies to get into the D2C space in a very serious manner about four years back," he said. Highlighting the rapid growth and innovation enabled by this approach, he added, "We invested a lot into tech, R&D, and talent management to set up a whole division on the D2C platform."